East Palo Alto Mayor Ruben Abrica awoke Wednesday to find his city's residents had voted with their wallets.

More than 68 percent of voters backed a property tax designed to raise $1.3 million a year for 10 years to fund both law enforcement and community-based violence-prevention programs. That was just enough to give the proposal, Measure C, the two-thirds vote it needed to pass Tuesday.

Residents of the city, which led the nation in per-capita homicides in 1992, also soundly defeated a cheaper, competing measure that would have funded only police through a similar property tax.

"The voters agreed that for reducing violence, it's not enough to just add more police with more guns," said Abrica, who campaigned vigorously for Measure C. "We need to work internally with young people, with troubled families. ... I think it's a sensible approach, and it was a sensible decision by the voters."

Abrica and many others didn't learn of Measure C's passage until Wednesday morning, as San Mateo County election officials -- who in years past have been among the quickest in the state to tally votes -- worked out the kinks in a new electronic voting system.

"We thought by 9 o'clock (Tuesday night) we'd have some idea, but we didn't," Abrica said. "Unless you stayed up past midnight, (Wednesday) morning is when we all found out. It was good news all around."

Measure C's competition, Measure D, was funded largely by property management companies. It got just 21 percent of the vote.

Measure C's success came after East Palo Alto voters defeated a similar tax-increase proposal last year. Several community groups, religious leaders, police officials and the police union backed this year's successful version.

"We're excited," police Capt. Kathy Samuels said. "These kinds of measures have always been difficult to get passed. It definitely shows the community support for our efforts."

The measure will tax owners of single-home lots $100 a year and rental owners $75 per unit per year. Businesses will be taxed on a formula based on the type of business and its square footage.

Half the money will be spent to increase the number of police officers, improve training and boost funding for investigations. The rest will be spent on violence-prevention programs for youths, families, ex-felons and others.

Detective Tracy Turner, president of the police union, backed Measure C even though the competing measure would have provided more money directly for police.

"The youth in East Palo Alto need more support from the community," Turner said. "It's not about us getting all of the money."

East Palo Alto earned national notoriety in 1992 when its 42 slayings constituted the highest per-capita homicide rate in the country. The number declined into the single digits before jumping again last year to 15.

So far this year, the city of 32,000 has had three homicides. Abrica said that stepped-up policing has helped and that city officials and police have worked with community groups providing youths with alternatives to joining gangs and committing crimes.

"The combination," Abrica said, "is what really helped this year in reducing crime."